Chihiro's Return
by The Dancing Hobo
Summary: After several years, Chihiro finds herself doubting the events she experienced in her childhood... but more importantly, doubting Haku... And thus, now a young woman, Chihiro sets out to find the Spirit World. sorry about the dodgy summary, I'll fix it la
1. Chihiro's Return: Chapter 1

My first ever go at a fanfic. (!!!) I'm quite long-winded, so you may find this a bit slow going. Well, nothing much has happened so far… Mmm… this is based on the movie Spirited Away. Comments would be much appreciated.  
  
_________________________  
  
.: Chihiro's Return :.  
  
(yes, unoriginal I know)  
  
by the Dancing Hobo  
  
_________________________  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
She should've been over it all by now.  
  
Should have, but wasn't.  
  
"Bye Chihiro!"  
  
What the?! Oh, it was Yuki. Chihiro looked up and forced a smile.  
  
"Bye."  
  
Yuki gave her a strange look as she walked away.  
  
"Take care of yourself….okay? Enjoy the holidays!!"  
  
"Yeah, I will….you too."  
  
Chihiro turned around and walked away. Her face was burning again. She frowned and lifted her face to the cooling wind. No, she shouldn't go on like this. She should have been over it. Over him. It had been so many years ago. She had just been a little girl. Now, she was a young woman, high-school finally behind her. It was silly really, just a schoolgirl crush. And she was no longer a schoolgirl. It had been so many years… and she wasn't even quite sure if… if he was real.  
  
Chihiro stopped dead in her tracks.   
  
She shook her head. Of course he was real. She remembered it. His name was Haku. He was the spirit of a river. A boy. He had helped her escape from the Spirit World all those years ago. Even though nobody else knew about the Spirit World, it *did* exist. She had been there. It *was* real… right?  
  
As was the case whenever she felt doubtful, Chihiro took the little brown package from her pocket. She gingerly unwrapped it and saw the piece of purple string, safe inside. Carefully, she picked it up with the tips of her fingers and held it close, breathing deeply. That piece of string had once been a hair-tie, a memento from the Spirit World. Now, it looked like any old piece of string, having lost the magical lustre it once had.  
  
But still, if she closed her eyes, she could almost smell the fragrant herbs of the bath-house, hear the soft chugging of the train, and feel the wind pushing up against her as she fell from the sky with Haku.  
  
Haku…  
  
Had he forgotten her?  
  
She opened her eyes. No, she would not do this now. Not now.   
  
Chihiro rewrapped the piece of string in the brown paper and made her way home. 


	2. Chihiro's Return: Chapter 2

Mmm.. starting to get a little worried now, since there are only so many ways a Spirited Away fanfic can go, and I want this to be original. Oh well. I'll give it a try. Um, just a note that this chapter is a little boring. Things will get better soon (I hope).  
  
_________________________  
  
.: Chihiro's Return :.  
  
(yes, unoriginal I know)  
  
by the Dancing Hobo  
  
_________________________  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
Chihiro thought that the place seemed familiar. Very familiar. Then she sighed, realising that she had been walking around in circles. She had passed that particular statue at least twice.  
  
Frustrated, she leant against the nearest tree and slid down into a sitting position. Bad move. She could feel the moss beginning to seep in through her t-shirt. But she didn't care. Not now anyway. It had been stupid to come out here all alone when she could have been with Yuki and the others in Tokyo instead. Shopping and laughing with her friends as opposed to being all alone in this... forest... chasing some fragment of her childhood. Why oh why had she chosen to do this during the holidays?  
  
Chihiro stood up.  
  
But it had to be done. This had been the only time that she had had a chance to. She would never rest until she knew for sure whether it had all actually happened. Everything about the Spirit World had seemed so surreal... to a point where she it was almost a dream. But Haku... Haku had been so real. Chihiro closed her eyes and saw the little pink shoe that had bobbed happily away from her in the river. An early memory. This, coupled with the memory of Haku in the flesh had somehow materialised her experience of the Spirit World so much more. Made it real, since even her parents remembered her falling into the river. Falling into Haku...  
  
She had to find him. Chihiro rummaged around in her backpack until she found the little map she had bought off a street vendor not long ago. It looked accurate enough, and would have been very helpful if she had known *where* on that map she was.  
  
Then Chihiro suddenly realised that she was lost. She began to panic, scared that she would never make it out of this place. It had looked so different the last time she came here, but then again, that had been many years ago. She kept spinning around, trying to orient herself. In her confusion, she dropped the map. She bent down to pick it up and dropped her backpack in turn. Irritated, she turned around and slipped on the map, landing her face first onto the forest floor. Chihiro felt a wave of pain sweep over her body, the smell of rotting leaves filling her nostrils.  
  
"Haku!!!"  
  
She screamed and buried her face deeper into the mouldy leaves. All of a sudden, Chihiro realised that she had screamed out Haku's name and felt herself blush. After all these years... She remembered all the other times when she had just instinctively called out his name whenever she was in need of help or support. And all those questions she had been asked. 'What is Haku?''*Who* is Haku?' Questions that she could never answer. After all, who was going to believe that she had been to some sort of 'alternate world'? It wasn't fair. She wanted so much to share all these feelings and memories. Share them with her friends. Share them with Haku. If he still remembered her.  
  
Chihiro lay face down for a few more seconds until she felt the blush fade from her face. Feeling a bit more calmed, she looked up, watching the mottled sunlight dance across the statue's face. It was a rather grotesque statue, with its haunting smile forever frozen in the cold grey stone. Chihiro sighed and looked down again.  
  
Haku...  
  
She looked up again at the statue. There was something different about it now... then Chihiro realised that the light had changed. She got up onto her elbows and saw the stream of sunlight that was coming in from behind the statue. Then she noticed that the light seemed to shine a path, a path that she hadn't noticed previously.  
  
Chihiro stood up, blinking, and stared towards the light. For a moment, she felt a sudden gush of hope that Haku had somehow heard her and had helped make this path for her. Made it for her so that she would find him... But then, she realised with a sinking heart, it could also have been the movement of the sun across the sky that had caused the path to appear more obvious.  
  
Either way, she was sure that the Theme Park was at the other end. With Haku, possibly waiting for her.  
  
Chihiro packed up her belongings and brushed herself off. Face set with determination, she gripped the brown paper package in her pocket and walked towards the light. 


	3. Chihiro's Return: Chapter 3

It's been a while. Let me say one thing: I BLAME SCHOOL. But now that school is just about over for the year, I will have much more time to finish writing. Sorry for taking so long with updating this fic. I'm a bit rusty but this chapter will do for now. The end is closer than I realised. There wil be perhaps 3 more chapters or so. *nods*  
  
_________________________  
  
.: Chihiro's Return :.  
  
(yes, unoriginal I know)  
  
by the Dancing Hobo  
  
_________________________  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
Chihiro stumbled quite a few times, the powerful light just about blinding her. It suddenly dawned on her how strange it was to be following a path of light. After all, this kind of thing only happened in magical stories, or when you were near death or something. Banishing the latter thought from her mind, she held the map out in front of her eyes, shielding the light. She couldn't see where she was going but at least her eyes wouldn't hurt. As she walked, the light grew dimmer and dimmer and Chihiro drew her hand away from her eyes not long after.  
  
She was standing in front of a faded red wall.  
  
Chihiro stopped, her heart pounding.  
  
So it truly had been real!  
  
She smiled inwardly, then let out a laugh. All those memories... they came back to her ever more strongly now. Kamajii, Rin and... of course... Haku. Chihiro reached out and touched the wall. It was mouldy and dirty, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that she would soon meet Haku.  
  
Her heart beat faster in anticipation.  
  
She would finally meet Haku again!  
  
Chihiro couldn't help but smile. Now all she had to do was find a way in. She looked both to the left and right of the wall, wondering where the entrance would be. Finally, she turned left, since the right side of the wall was covered in overgrowth. She followed the wall eagerly, impatient to meet all her friends. Chihiro even jogged a bit, and soon, her efforts paid off.  
  
She found that she had reached a high, arched, tunnel-like entrance. Legs shaking, she forced herself to walk around and stand in front of it. This way, she could take in the whole view properly. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, a happy smile on her face. Chihiro opened her eyes, not knowing quite what to expect. She couldn't quite remember. Would she see the stalls first? The grass field? The bath-house? Or perhaps the ocean? She had no recollection of coming though this particular entrance and her body was quivering with excitement at the prospect of all the different possibilities. She was going to find out now. Chihiro looked forward.  
  
There was a figure standing at the other end.  
  
"Who.....?"  
  
The words had barely left her lips when Chihiro suddenly realised who it was. Her eyes widened and she took a step back.  
  
No... 


	4. Chihiro's Return: Chapter 4

I am deeply sorry for running off like that for a few... years... -- I don't know. I guess I kind of lost that high I had from watching the movie plus I was occupied with school and things like that. Although I've kind of forgotten what it was I intended to write here and no one probably cares about this any more, I am resurrecting it so that it will finally be complete. And on another note... why don't those underscore lines work anymore X( Arrrgggh!

.: Chihiro's Return .  
(yes, unoriginal I know)  
by the Dancing Hobo

CHAPTER 4

Chihiro's first instinct was to turn and run. As fast as she could.

"Not so fast there, Child," cackled an old voice.

The figure stepped forward. Chihiro drew in her breath deeply. It was as she had guessed: Yubaba! But as the woman drew closer, Chihiro became acutely aware of the witch's diminutive size. She hadn't changed. Her hair was styled in the exact same way, and she still wore that dark old-fashioned dress. In that instant, Chihiro realised the significance of all the years that had passed: how she had grown, and how much experience she had gained. She was a woman now. It was true that the witch had immense, magical powers. But now, this mark of time, coupled with the memory of her victory which now came flooding back, rekindled a confidence in Chihiro which had all but been forgotten...

She stood her ground and faced the crone.

"I'm standing in the human world. You can't hurt me. And I'm not afraid of you." She could feel her whole body shaking, but she would not give in. No way.

A raspy chuckle came in reply.

"No doubt, Chihiro. No doubt."

The woman looked up at Chihiro's face, now allowing her own brow to be illuminated by the gentle sun. As their eyes met, Chihiro caught the spark of kindness there, and berated herself for her own blindness.

"Zeniba!"

She ran towards the woman and wrapped her arms tightly around the plump frame. Chihiro felt simply ecstatic. She squeezed the woman with all her strength, an affirmation of her experience. Of her time in the Spirit World. It was real. It had all been real. She could never let it go now. Chihiro broke into a peal of laughter. How relieved she was to have found a friend! She now leant on the woman for support, finally allowing her fatigue to set in.

Zeniba gently pulled her away and looked into her face. Her own, whilst bearing a warm smile at reuniting with the girl, nevertheless wore a hint of surprise.

"I must say that I am rather surprised that you remembered us at all."

"How could I forget?" smiled Chihiro.

Something flashed in Zeniba's eyes, incomprehensible.

"I guess human emotions were stronger than I thought," mumbled the old woman, her gaze relentless.

Chihiro felt a blush creep slowly over her face.

"So. You know then?"

She looked away, unable to tolerate the witch's scrutiny.

Zeniba nodded and chortled heartily, slapping Chihiro on the back.

"Well girl, what other reason could there be?"

Chihiro resigned herself to her embarrassment. Indeed, what other reason could exist to draw her so strongly back to her past? What else could so sorely beg confirmation of its existence? Yes, there was no force stronger than...

Haku.

She was returning at last!


End file.
